OT Face-to-face talks secured over Luing’s school run
Argyll and Bute Council has promised a face-to-face meeting with islanders to address concerns regarding a journey to school between Luing and Seil and involving three modes of transport.
Primary school age children on Luing must travel by minibus, ferry and public bus to school on a daily basis – as the island’s only school has been mothballed since 2020.
Representatives of the island’s community council were at a meeting of Argyll and Bute Council’s Oban Lorn and the Isles area committee on Wednesday March 8 to ask for talks with council officials to see what can be done to make travel arrangements easier.
Multiple requests about improving the current school run have been made in the past, including an impassioned email to council chief executive Pippa Milne.
Innes MacCuinn, Luing Community Council’s convener, said at last week’s meeting: “What can be done to facilitate a meeting and open discussion between the council and Luing representatives to resolve the issue of travel arrangements for primary school age children?
“Since Luing Primary School is mothballed, children as young as four are required to undertake two long journeys, by three modes of transport, to attend primary school in Seil. It has been a wide concern among the community, particularly for parents affected.”
Mark Calder, project manager with the council, responded: “I know there has been a lot of correspondence about this issue. From our perspective, the safety and wellbeing of children on our transport services is, of course, a top priority.
“Our services comply with different regulations set out by the Transport Commissioner for Scotland. They are quite heavily regulated, and rightly so, but I totally understand and appreciate where you are coming from.
“If people are worried, it is better to meet up and discuss it. Leave it with me and I will come back to you.”
Mr MacCuinn then said: “The regulations are there, but the real concern is about going over on an open ferry with moving vehicles and heavy tractors on a daily basis on dark winter mornings. In the summer months, it’s also very busy. Then there’s walking up the slipway right next to the water. Having somebody in charge of several children really is a concern and having an open dialogue would be very beneficial.”
Community council secretary Mary Braithwaite added: “We take the point that the council feels that it meets all the legislative requirements.
“The problem is that this does not deal with the situation where young children are being transported from one island to another using three modes of transport. The council’s risk assessments deal primarily with individual modes of transport and do not take into account the passengers who are very young, or deal with the whole journey in variable weather.
“There are many aspects of that journey, from the point of view of young children, and risks they face, which simply have not been addressed. We will be coming back soon to identify areas of concern in writing.”
Mr MacCuinn also asked what had happened to the council’s long-awaited ferry users’ survey. He said the survey had been promised to all of the islands who rely on council-run ferries which are “essential.” He added Luing’s timetable has been the same for years and the island’s demographic has changed in that time so needs to be reviewed.
Mr Calder said he “100 per cent agreed” that a review was needed and explained the council was in the process of recruiting a couple of staff to work on key marine projects like this. The review would be part of their remit although he did not have a timescale. He hoped to come back to the community council at the end of the month with an update, hoping to have successfully recruited someone.
‘...the real concern is about going over on an open ferry with moving vehicles and heavy tractors on a daily basis on dark winter mornings.’